I'm sold...

...on getting a 29er. I just demoed my friend's 29er and I was grinning from ear to ear. I was impressed on how well it handled on the rocky DH, climbing and cornering. Now I want to get my hands on an El Commandante Ultimate. I need to figure out what components to get that will get me below $2K to do a SS build. Any recommendations?

That comes up to $1756.
You still need a rear cog, chain, brake adaptors, grips, stem, tires, tubes or tubeless brew. You should be able to do that with the $244 left. If you have spare cash you can upgrade the fork to a Reba or look for a used Fox.